I believe, proclaim, and teach that the Genesis account of creation is a true and historical account of God's creation of the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them. It is not merely an allegory, myth, or figurative story intended to communicate spiritual ideas apart from actual historical events.
In the beginning, God created.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
—Genesis 1:1
God Himself is the Creator of all things. Before creation, there was no independent source of matter, life, or existence outside of God. All things that exist ultimately owe their existence to Him.
The universe is not self-created, nor is it the product of some independent eternal substance existing alongside God. God is the sovereign Creator, and everything He created came into existence according to His will and power.
The Genesis account repeatedly declares that God spoke and creation came into existence.
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
—Genesis 1:3
God spoke, and creation responded to His command.
The New Testament confirms this creative work through Jesus Christ:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
—John 1:1
John then declares:
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
—John 1:3
Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, was not part of creation. He is the Creator.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are revealed throughout Scripture as active in the work of creation. Creation therefore demonstrates the power, wisdom, and sovereign authority of the Triune God.
Scripture teaches that the visible creation did not arise from preexisting things independent of God's creative power.
Hebrews declares:
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
—Hebrews 11:3
God is therefore the ultimate source of all creation.
He created the heavens.
He created the earth.
He created the seas and dry land.
He created the sun, moon, and stars.
He created plant life.
He created animal life.
And He created mankind.
Everything belongs to Him because everything came from Him.
The created universe bears witness to its Creator.
Paul writes:
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.”
—Romans 1:20
The order, complexity, beauty, and majesty of creation testify to God's eternal power and divine nature.
Creation is therefore not God, but creation points beyond itself to God.
The heavens declare His glory.
The earth demonstrates His wisdom.
Life demonstrates His creative power.
And mankind bears His image.
Creation gives humanity reason to recognize that we are not the ultimate authority over ourselves. We belong to the One who made us.
Human beings hold a unique place within God's creation.
On the sixth day, God created mankind according to His own purpose and design:
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
—Genesis 1:26
Genesis then states:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
—Genesis 1:27
Humanity was not an afterthought.
Man was intentionally created by God and given a unique relationship to Him within creation.
God created humanity male and female, and both man and woman bear the image of God.
This gives every human being inherent dignity and value.
Being made in the image of God does not mean that God has a physical human body. Rather, humanity was uniquely created to reflect God's character and purposes within creation.
Human beings possess capacities that distinguish them within the created order, including moral responsibility, rational thought, relational capacity, spiritual awareness, and the ability to exercise responsible dominion over God's creation.
The image of God also establishes the biblical foundation for the value of human life.
Every human being possesses dignity because every human being is God's creation and bears His image.
This truth applies regardless of social position, wealth, nationality, ability, age, or status.
God gave mankind responsibility over the created world:
“And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth.”
—Genesis 1:26
Human dominion does not mean that humanity owns creation independently of God.
God remains the Creator and ultimate owner.
Human beings are therefore stewards, entrusted with the responsibility to care for and govern what belongs to God.
This establishes a biblical foundation for responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources.
Paul preached to the Athenians that God:
“hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
—Acts 17:26
All humanity shares a common Creator and a common human origin.
No nation, ethnicity, social class, or people group possesses a different Creator or a different category of human worth.
Every person stands before the same God.
Every person bears the image of God.
And every person is accountable to the God who gave him life.
Because God created all things, He possesses absolute authority over His creation.
Humanity does not determine its own ultimate purpose.
God determines the purpose for which He created us.
We do not establish our own moral standard independently of Him.
God establishes the standard.
We do not define truth according to changing human opinion.
God is the source of truth.
And we do not determine whether we are accountable to our Creator.
We are accountable because He created us.
The doctrine of creation therefore provides the foundation for understanding everything that follows in Scripture: human identity, marriage, family, morality, sin, redemption, stewardship, judgment, and salvation.
The doctrine of creation is also inseparable from the Gospel.
The God who created mankind is the God who came to redeem mankind.
The eternal Word through whom all things were created became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Creator entered His creation to save sinners.
John declares:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”
—John 1:14
The One through whom the world was made is the same Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world and rose again.
Creation therefore points us toward redemption.
The God who created everything has not abandoned His creation. He is carrying out His redemptive purpose and will ultimately bring His creation into the fullness of His intended purpose.
I believe that God is the Creator of heaven and earth and that the Genesis account gives a true account of His creative work.
I believe that God created by His sovereign power and through His Word.
I believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, is the Creator through whom all things were made.
I believe that all created things ultimately derive their existence from God and remain under His authority.
I believe that mankind was uniquely and intentionally created by God on the sixth day and that both male and female were created in the image and likeness of God.
I believe that every human being possesses inherent dignity because every person bears the image of the Creator.
I believe that humanity was given dominion over creation as a stewardship under God's authority.
And I believe that the doctrine of creation establishes the foundation for understanding who God is, who we are, why we are here, and why we are accountable to our Creator.
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
—Romans 11:36